Background:
 
Human beings being what they are, the temptation to gain undue advantages and indeed the very basic ambition to win, to gain power, must be checked and channeled constantly and reliably. In Bangladesh governmental structure still bear the hallmark of colonial legacy. Social relations bear those of colonial influences. Unlike the European experiences of the symbiotic development of the state, nation and market, here the state has become the principal institutional agency in the creation of the nation through strategies of assimilation, integration and coercion. Development of market has lagged far behind. The centralizing tendencies of the state have bedeviled the objectives of developing socio-political harmony and an overacting national consciousness. The inability or unwillingness of the state to accommodate social diversity and provide democratic ‘space’ to a variety of groups has in turn nurtured and intensified centrifugal tendencies.
 
The compulsion of the state to forge a nation in its thrall also invariably involves the pre-eminence of coercive strategies and the gradual erosion of democratic rights and freedom. The institutionalization of hegemony through the instance of party conformity and the no less insidious practice of elevating the majority party to a foremost position have struck at the fundamental trends of identity in a representative democracy. In Bangladesh, such factors clearly characterize perception of discrimination and societal conflict. The failure of the state to deliver its promises with regard of the good life of the citizens, and its tendencies to camouflage its limited capabilities with coercion and authoritarianism resulted in anti establishment, anti systemic governance that is corrupt, exclusive bankrupt and economic development is denied democratic legitimacy.

In a context in which all power and authority is jealousy guarded at the center and concentrated in a class, a community, a party and in the office of a single individual the reasoning of those who believe that the system is not working for them, is to capture the system itself through similar means. This is a course of action, which serves only to replicate the problem, as it is, by its nature, a thoroughly static response. When power, authority and opportunity stems from partisan affiliation, the development of flourishing institution of civil society that would serve as independent guardians of democratic rights is stymied. In Bangladesh numerous instances can be cited where any attempt on the part of this institution to act independently has been squashed by the capricious exercise of political power.

The state entered the economy to control it. Consequently the modernizing effects of economic development in particular as far as social marketing is concerned, is limited by the preponderant role of the state in controlling and distributing economic largesse under its political patronage and according to discriminating criteria. As economic discretion has been imposed through structural adjustment conditionality, the discrepancy between the educational attainments of the labor force and employment opportunities in the economy has widened, further fuelling relative deprivation, alienation and anomie.

In such a situation minorities are doubly disadvantaged as citizens and as persons. Some who have acquired material benefits and social advancement could gain so on the basis of political patronage and particular power configuration. Individuals have succeeded by virtue of social class. As a group though minorities are disproportionately vulnerable to the vicissitudes of politics.

The consistent denial of meaningful redress through political and economic accommodation by the state only reinforce the belief that the system only works for some and it is not intended to work for others. In this sense, post independence politics has entrenched the monolithic nation state bias of collective political organizations without fostering the mediating attractions of meaningful constitution and political experimentation to accommodate social diversity.

At the margins, the belief that underpins political action is that the state designed as expounded as above cannot reform itself. The question is then, is there a way out to create and sustain a political culture of partnership in the basic social contract between government and governed? To answer this critical question the Institute of Liberal Democracy emerged as a think tank of Liberal Party Bangladesh with a view to gradually educate the people and give the birth to an enlightened political culture and develop inspiration and urge among the people towards liberal democracy.

Objectives:
 
The main objective for establishing an Institute of Liberal Democracy is to give liberal democracy a firm footing on the soil of Bangladesh. As a think tank of liberal politics ILD is dedicated to educate the people on the requirements of a precise and particular commitment to a distinctive conception of the place of the individual in relation both to the state and the society. The fact remains that no party in the parliament has an ideological frame work according to which it can promote the policies that are now seen as universally acceptable –the liberal democratic politics. ILD through its literature, seminars and propagatory pamphates should explain that the rights of individual citizens and those of the society are inseperable aspects of human life. One takes care of the civil and political rights and the other economic, social and cultural ones. The realization of civil and political rights is not that much hard to achieve while the economic, social and cultural rights are regarded as ideals for which people are expected to strive.

The distinctions exist both with respect to content as usual as model of enforcement. Civil and political rights are expressed in terms of freedom and protection of such freedom against encroachment by the state and its apparatus. Economic and social rights are regarded as promotional and programmatic rights. Hence when demagogue politicians, to win election and to gain political power make tall promises, people should know the realities of those promises.

ILD knows very well that the trends towards liberal democracy are an ongoing process. The process was given added impetuous by the struggle for independence, which showed that, severe and long-lived repression cannot extinguish the human aspiration to liberty. It demonstrated that citizen would ultimately find a way of claiming and enforcing their right to live in a free society. Yet the longings for civil and political liberty as well as social economic and cultural freedom could not be realized, as people were not aware of the nature of exploitation in camouflage. The process, a difficult one and is subject to setbacks suffered most due to the fact that in the struggle for liberty, the new democratic leaders and the political movements and parties lack experience. ILD observes with much anxiety the success of the anti people forces during elections and how big the gap in between their professional political campaigning and the efforts of their so-called democratic opponents.

ILD has to give more attention in the recent past and as political consultant, i.e. transfer of the kind of political know -how which at a practical level is of the greatest importance is securing democracy and liberal political structure. This transfer of know-how is an important part of political education, not only the description and discussion of various aspects of democratic life such as separation of power and its purpose, role of free media, the legislative process, the appointment and function of judiciary, but also to impart practical knowledge to citizens so that they can promote this ideas and put them into practice. Good ideas must be communicated, support for those ideas must be organized, and awareness of what is legitimate in democracy and what not must be sharpened.

The process of achieving liberal democracy should be developed firstly and fore mostly by the very citizens and ILD has to shoulder the responsibility to make people aware of the ideology, help them set the goal and make them acquainted with the processes and thus involve the whole community of people in the struggle for liberal democracy.

Outcome:
 
A full-fledged ILD having a central office in Dhaka and 64 offices in Districts will expand its work in 460 thanas and will engage itself in propagating liberal democracy.

The people to whom, we feel, we are bound by responsibility, will know that the state must strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which the socio-political –economic justice shall prevail in the institutions of national life. People shall be aware that only liberal democracy ensures that the state has to strive to minimize inequalities in income and to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities not only amongst individuals but also amongst group of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations. That the state is ordained to direct its policies towards securing for citizens, man and women equally, the right to an adequate means of earning a livelihood for themselves. The people, particularly those who are subjected to inhuman negligence or who are truly indifferent, when will come to know that the ownership and control of material resources of the community are to be distributed in the best manner possible in order to serve common good and that health and strength of workers, men women and children are prohibited from being abused, shall give a second thought before rallying behind the existing self seeker political parties. The people would become alert to secure the operation of legal system to promote justice on the basis of equal opportunities and the assurance of providing of free legal aids to ensure the opportunities for securing justice and are not behind to any citizens by reason of economic on other disabilities. People would be aware that with the growth of industrial society, the industrial pollution of environment is being a serious problem are becoming more acute everyday and human rights cannot be conceived in the absence of proper environment. People being motivated by the ideas of liberal democracy shall actively oppose drug trafficking to save their boys and girls in school and colleges and the labor force who are addicted to drugs in large numbers. Gender discrimination will be no more as both man and women would be conscious of their rights and duties in a liberal democratic state. Rights of minorities will not be ignored because under liberal democracy they will no more possess in their heart allegiance to any other state of affairs that encourage them to destructive thinking.

Undoubtedly, Bangladesh has to tread a long way in order to achieve the ideal of a human life free of all exploitation, social, political, civic and cultural. Yet ILD will speed up that process and inspire the people to march untied on the ragged path of liberal democracy to gain a decent and just life for all.

Plan of action:
 
Liberal party Bangladesh has devised a plan of action based on the ideas of liberal democracy that strive for civil, political, economical, social and cultural rights. Hence it has set up a plan of action that insure the people’s participation in attaining these goals. They are:
 
1. Open dialogue: ILD thinks proper dialogue is very much essential to highlight the values of liberal democracy and to devise the way and means towards its success. Hence it has planned to hold round table conferences, seminars in its center and all district offices. Politicians, community leaders brought in from the remote thanas educationists, judges, journalists, NGO leaders and professionals – shall be invited to participate and exchange their views. The outcome of the deliberation shall be written in the minutes and extensively circulated to receive public opinion in favor of liberal democracy. Emphasis shall be given, in the deliberation, on educative exchanges of views, which is a must if we are to withstand the pressure, the tension, the intolerance and the fear generated by political, economical, social, cultural and civil response. We have been working for some time with peoples of different walks of life and amazed to see their interest particularly the young people who have expressed their solidarity with the ideals of liberal democracy.

2. Publication: ILD have produced publications on the basis of liberal democracy. We have in our line of publication some important publication such as (a) human rights protection- a challenge (b) economic liberalism –why and how, (c) Liberal politics: -an universal approach (d) Cultural diversity etc. Those publications will go a long way to educate and inspire the realization of liberal ideas. As ILD is well aware of its influence of mass media and mass communication, a fortnightly newsletter named Liberal News’ will see daylight very soon. This news letters if could be distributed extensively in 460 thanas among politicians, social workers, youths and professionals, it will not be long that liberal democratic ideals will throw a challenge to the existing political parties. Anti people demagogue, false tall unrealistic promises, provocation to resort to muscle power, winning election by throwing fear and favor will not go unchallenged. People, being educated by ILD and armed with ILD publications, which shall unveil the emptiness of politics other than liberal democracy, will not hesitate to employ all their effort to reach to a better life for themselves and work for transforming the nation and the state onto a Liberal Democratic one. 

Research:
 
Friedrich Neumann in his “Die Illusion in der Politic” essay has given as ample evidence of his political right when he said, “To put it in plain, sober language: we cannot live without universal political ideas even though we might have recognized at least the relative nature of these ideas. Now, every age has its own universal ideas, but since every age at the same time with it a past, a present, and a future it also throws up ideas, which are still illusions, which have just turned into reality, which have already faded away. Utopia may be described as a certain stage when the idea is only just emerging”. In another of his great essay, ‘The Revival of liberalism’, he said, “How can a dominant liberal opinion be formed? By no other means other than the long established one where liberal minded men articulate their opinion and organize their program on the basis of their opinions. By articulating their convictions we are making use of the only weapon at our disposal. An opinion that is kept concealed in the innermost recesses of the heart has no political value”.

The above sayings point at one of the most essential part of liberal movement-research. We have to acknowledge that there are divergent views on the existence, growth and prospect of liberalism and liberal values. Primary research on liberal democracy, liberal values and the part political traditions of the last two millennium that ILD has carried out has proved that liberalism is not a stranger in Asia, particularly South-East Asian sub continent. Political, civil, social, Economic & cultural heritage and tradition as well as moral and ethics of this area of the world have witnessed the existence of liberal values in some other periods of history and in some of other parts. Research carried out by ILD unveiled that South East Asian society, in the past ages, have enjoyed freedom of the individual, authority and control over property gained non aggressively, freedom of thought and action, respect for life and liberty and cultural diversity etc.

Now, though the scenarios has gone through waves of changes and have lost its fragrance in the process of modernization and also sophistication that resulted in over all deprivation of the greatest number of mass people, yet the remembrance is there. ILD research fellows termed is at “it is not going back, but giving the past ideals that conform to the modern liberal democracy a new life and reshaping those in the model of present liberal values. As a diamond when cut and polished fetches unexpected high value, so the past South East Asian politics, economy, civil and socio-cultural traditions as well as moral and ethics, cut to dimensions and polished with modernism, keeping the loving touch of the present hopes and aspirations of the freedom loving people, will fetch great success for liberalism.

In these context ILD has taken up extensive research projects on Gender equality, Human rights, Representative forms of Govt. Administrative structure to suit political environment and Freedom, of individual Planned economy, Law and Justice, Unhindered flow of information, Education system, Criteria of leadership and how to attain it, Modern technology, Development of agriculture, Industrialization and creation of employment, Development of man power, Women and child welfare, Health and Family planning, Elimination of drug addiction and drug trafficking, Pollution free environment, Religious freedom in its truest sense and the incorporation of these people oriented ideas.

To carry on with these research, self-sufficient library comprising all sorts of research materials and highly qualified research persons and research fellows have to be employed or hired. 

Training:
 
In Bangladesh, the self seeker politicians and parties have built up a political structure that is unruly, corrupt, exclusive and bankrupt and inclined to exploit the vast majority of people and totally indifferent to the development of the state and national individuals. This political structure and environment has given rise to a question marked by a tone of pessimism—‘ Will there grow a leadership that will emancipate the people from the shackles of servitude?’ The brutality caused by the moneymaking, power misusing, and tendency towards leading a pompous life, leadership has made people numb, imbecile and coward. Absence of a correct and bold leadership is felt everywhere. Hence an ideal and properly trained leadership has to grow up. ILD has taken up the responsibility to pick up the liberal minded youth force from the nook and corner of every thana and run them through extensive training courses so that they can work to usher in the Liberal Democratic politics for the overall benefit of the individual and the society. This training will set the foundation upon which stand the political structure of human freedom and the achievement of civil, political economic, social and cultural progress. Through this training course the youth will get the deepest meaning of and the firm motivation towards liberal democratic politics.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, since it does not detail a host of working groups, special measures of reports, studies and statements, of concrete plans and programs of action, investigation and many other procedures because while facing the practical circumstances, modification might needed. During the training on “leadership development” the course contents should include the liberal ideas and practices in the past two millennium, forces of servitude, forced labor and similar institutions and practices, protection of the individual from repression, civil, political, economic, social and cultural freedom and their contribution to gain a decent human life, the rights and obligation of individual, administrative, judicial wings of the state, counting discrimination, ways and means to develop the youth forces to build up a benevolent and strong nation on the basis of freedom of the individuals another related subjects. 
The trainer, often explaining the topics shall welcome suggestions. The youths shall be provoked to think and find out the ways and means that is acceptable to the general mass people, to come off the present political ideas as nasty and brutish and to replace those by the ideas of liberal democracy. Thus ‘leadership development’ training will impart in the heart of the youths the meaning of the democracy – i.e. justice to the people, freedom of the conscience and equality of the opportunities and in order to obtain in the same reality they will be fitted with the right idealism of a leader, ready to show the hard responsibility of leading the people towards a peaceful and prosperous life gained with the realization of the Liberal democracy.

Monitoring and Evaluation:
 
Unlike any other institution ILD has a philosophical outlook and has to work to imbibe people in the spirit of that philosophy. So, there must be a watchdog to see that it activities are conducted in right way to reach right destination. Where welfare of people concerned, there can be no ‘dress as you like’ policy. So to assure that works of ILD is directed towards achieving success of Liberal Democratic politics a strong and ever alert five men managing committee is there. The managing committee comprises of the President, Liberal Party Bangladesh (chairman), Executive Director of ILD (secretary), and the Chair of the International Relation wing, the Editor of Liberal Newsletter (Party bulletin) and the Treasurer as members.

The managing committee shall oversee that ILD is run properly and is contributing to explain the acceptability and inevitability of Liberal Democracy in Bangladesh, context and that liberal ideals are presented as just re-incarnation of the past social cultural, moral and ethical standard maintained by forefathers, that made Bangladesh a happy place to live in, full of peace and opportunity for all.

The managing committee shall monitor and evaluate the working of ILD’s every wings i.e. Publication, Research and Training and that it’s Plan of Action is followed to achieve the objectives. It will also see that the appropriated budget is used judicious and have achieved expected results. The managing committee may put suggestions (if necessary) for further improvement.

Above all the trainees of leadership development should have extensive knowledge on the basic principles of liberalism, on political, civil, social, and cultural rights of the individual. They shall ensure after the training, individual freedom in their areas, the basic principal of individuals freedom, rights as citizens and culture that will survive only if the people are involved with the spirit of carrying on liberal activities. It needs to be constantly defended – ‘I have right to live, it is not just what I want, or need .It is my right’ but there are responsibilities to be taken. It should be made clear; rights stand only by the reason given for them and the reasons must be humanitarian in nature. If the people are not equipped with arms of reason, they will not react when the right is taken away or withheld. People should be made aware, why rights are so important. Once people realize the importance of rights they will not hesitate to bear the responsibility of realizing the rights and will make all and every sacrifice to maintain and sustain those as an inseparable part of self. The trainees will have the rights to creative thinking. Otherwise they would not be dynamic rather static and stereotyped. They should be encouraged to adaptive practices so that they will face contrast creatively without fear or greed of favor.

Thus Monitoring and Evaluation is ensured for the success of ILD.

Reporting:
 
ILD has to submit a quarterly report depicting its achievement in unambiguous terms, and the Managing Committee shall examine it and make necessary suggestions, if necessary for improvement. The report shall mention in detail, the progress made by the wings – Publication, Research and Training – and expenditure of the budgeted appropriation. The report shall be self-explanatory in nature and supported by documents, i.e. copies of publication, research works and achievements from the training. The report shall bear the reason for shortfall (if any) of expected achievements and may ask for suggestion for improvement.

The report has to be sent to the sponsoring authority who have donated for the programs and projects with a view to inform them the achievements of ILD and for comments and suggestions for further improvements.